


Victor's Torment

by Dawsonj26



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Angst, Author sux at tags!, Champion is busy, Grief, I hope its not all sad, I probably won't be, I'm very lazy, Maybe I'll continue if I'm motivated, Nightmares, Pain, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Short Stories, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:28:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23289292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawsonj26/pseuds/Dawsonj26
Summary: A series of short stories with different plots that share the same theme; strength found through confronting our demons.Victor faces many trials in his life. Sometimes he has friends to help him, to hold him up when he lacks the strength to stands on his own. Sometimes, the demons he must confront are his alone, and he must find his own strength when there seems to be none.To live is to know pain. To love is to know humanity.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

A scream interrupted the peace of the slumbering sky.

The stars, unbothered in their slumber, continued to roll through the eternity of Space.

A boy, not even eighteen, sat up in his bed, a pool of cold sweat caking his skin. He looked around the peaceful home he had made for himself. A home placed in the middle of nowhere, far from the eyes and ears of those who loved him for nothing but his name. 

Not his given name, that was a gift from those who loved him simply because he was alive. No, they loved the name of Champion, for Champion was his name above all others. It was a name of great respect and terrible burden, a burden he had shouldered for three years. 

The boy, still shaking from his sudden awakening, pulled himself from the safety and comfort of his bed. In his bathroom, he turned on the lights, squinting as the harsh rays enveloped the darkness that had been his solitude. Looking in the mirror, he saw a proper mess staring back at him; thin strings of hair hanging about in every direction, stubbornly defying the laws of physics. Cleaning himself up, he dared to check the time.

_3:15_

He’d have to be awake in less than two hours. Ready to conquer yet another day of walking around, kissing babies, and making public appearances. It was days of monotony broken by the occasional challenge, if you could even call it that. By now, he could beat anyone in a Pokemon battle quite handily, even Leon had long accepted his chances of redemption were gone.

Yet, even the Champion must have their greatest rival. It was not Hop, who had already resigned himself to a career in science, a career he was very well suited for. It certainly wasn’t Bede or Marnie, who had their own Gyms to take care of. No, his rival rested very neatly in the palm of his hand. The Ultra Ball, and the beast within it who carried the object of his pain. Victor’s Torment.

The screams pierced the night sky, but they were not his own. They were the screams of millions across Galar, crying in pain at the site that soared over their homes. In front of Victor stood the beast, stretching for miles. The personification of hopelessness and despair, the monster who terrorized Galar. The beast’s face, the stuff of nightmares, towering over Victor’s frailty. The ends of his great frame reaching to the very edge of Eternity.

So Eternity became his name, the name of Victor’s Torment. Hidden harmlessly inside a little ball where it rested, entirely unaware of its master’s hatred. Entirely aloof to the pain and torment that haunted the Champion’s sleep. 

Knocking himself out of the vision, Victor held the Ultra Ball tightly in his hand, knuckles turning white from the strain. The beast inside slept peacefully, and yet Victor could not, glaring at it with malice even he never thought possible. The object of such terror he dare not even speak its name for fear of the memory such a name possessed. 

He allowed himself to ever so silently wonder if Hop shared his nightmares. His Best Friend who had fought the beast side by side with him. Victor feared to ask as much as he feared any possible answer, not daring to worry Hop more than his studies already did. They were both much too busy for the comfort of simply company, and telling him about his nightmares would undoubtedly throw Hop into a tangled frenzy of concern. He’d always been that way, Victor thought remorsefully; wearing his emotions on his sleeve and always putting the needs of others before his own.

The boy finally stared down at the ball in his hand, suddenly aware that he had been squeezing it rather harshly. For a moment, he entertained the inescapable temptation to open the Pokeball. Unleash the beast and finally face the terror of his night, but in the silence of his home, he failed to find the courage that never failed him on the battlefield. Yet it wasn’t his courage but his curiosity that kept him fixed in place, staring at the black and gold adornment that decorated the Ultra Ball.

As though in a trance, Victor slowly walked to the door of his home, leading outside into the forest far outside the city of Wyndon. It made for a long commute to work, but Victor always thought it was worth it for the peace and quiet. The view certainly did not deter, the night sky clear and crisp, every star shining in its magnificence. In the morning, the sun reflected off the ice and snow that decorated the trees, making for a beautiful display of light and color. All of it was for Victor to enjoy in his little moments of peace.

At this time of the day, it was snowing, rather violently at that. Victor spun the ball cautiously in his hand, eyeing his surroundings warily. He had to do it eventually, he had to confront the object of his torment. He had to find a way to move on from the beast that plagued his every dream and nightmare. It slowly began seeping into every part of his life, until the only face he could see was the face of the beast. 

Mustering his courage, Victor readied himself to throw the Pokeball into the sky, opening Pandora’s Box to his world of grief and torment. In the final moments, however, Victor’s arm grew numb, the ball slipping harmlessly from his grasp to land softly in the snow; buried by powder and a flurry of frozen droplets. Victor stared at the blank slate of the Earth, undisturbed except for the small indent where the beast had fallen. 

Peacefully, without word or sound, Victor climbed back up the stairs into his house and went to sleep.

_5:00_

Victor woke to another scream, the scream of his alarm penetrating his less than peaceful sleep. He’d only managed an extra thirty minutes, but for his frail body, those thirty minutes meant everything. Victor quickly got dressed and readied himself for the busy day ahead of him. As Champion, he was constantly being pulled in multiple directions, being asked to make public appearances, MC for large events, and host even larger ones. All of it was in a day’s work, and all of it was exhausting.

Leon had taken the smart way out, he was on the shortlist for Chairman, but his bags had already been unpacked in Postwick before they could get to him. Now he could enjoy running the Battle Tower without the stress of being Chairman. Rather, it was Opal who found herself drawing the short end of the straw, leaving her Gym to Bede so that she could take up the reigns of the Pokemon League. A decision the other Gym Leaders and Leon were quick to endorse, noting Opal’s great wit and sharp mind. 

The endorsement was certainly well placed, Opal ran the Pokemon League quite efficiently and tended to all her duties with similar grace and ability. Those who worked under her supervision freely accounted that Opal ran the company with an iron fist, and did not tolerate people who wasted her time. It did not suit the glamorous life of a Champion, but it certainly suited the hard nature that was required of such a grand position. Unfortunately, at her age, moving about was a burden, so many of the public appearances were left to Victor, who already had his own as Champion to worry about. 

Stepping outside his home, Victor took one final look at where he had dropped the Pokeball. Scouring the landscape, he could no longer see the small indent, all evidence of its existence erased by the storm of Mother Nature. But despite his best effort, he still stared at the spot where he had dropped it, his mind laser-focused on it. His heart screamed at him to pick it up, Victor carried on walking, jumping on the Corviknight who waited patiently for him and zipped across the dawning sky towards the Battle Tower. 

It was still the Central HQ for the Pokemon League, but most people agreed they couldn’t continue to go around calling it Rose Tower, so it had been renamed to Battle Tower by popular demand. The name was well-placed, after all it was where trainers could participate in 3v3 battles against each other for points and rewards. For those that actually worked there, however, the name fell out of the tongue quite callously, never quite catching on. Some suggested naming it Opal Tower, but the person in question was quick to shut that down, so everyone just decided to leave it as Battle Tower and move on to more important things. 

One of those important things just so happened to be the business of today’s meetings. As Champion, Victor was a member of the Board of Directors and was allowed to (forced to) sit in on all the meetings. The topic of today was boring as all the other ones, talking about stocks, performances, the upcoming Gym Challenge, and the state of the Gyms. Victor had, perhaps once or twice, spoken up about science funding for Sonia and Hop, but those were quickly shot down. Apparently the world almost falling into eternal Darkness was not enough to convince them that Pokemon Battles were not the most important thing in the world.

And so, knowing that any suggestion of his would be ignored anyway, Victor sat silently at the end of the table, tuning out most of the meeting. He had never cared for the politics of Pokemon, but that’s all these men ever spoke. Eyeing Opal, he could tell she was getting tired of it as well, but age had at least given her the courtesy of respect and they were happy to listen to her advice and suggestions. The Board and the Chairwoman engaged in a constant back and forth discussion, some drilling her, others simply asking for her plans of action. Most would agree she had performed admirably, but there were always those who wanted to see her gone.

“Champion?” and so it was his name, the name given to him-no-forced upon him by those who thought they knew him. He overcame the temptation to roll his eyes at the name and turned towards the man that had spoken his name. That’s all he was to them, Champion, not Victor, only those who truly knew him used that name. It was a way of distancing themselves from him, a spit of jealousy hidden behind a thin veil of respect that Victor saw right through.

“Yes?” the Champion answered politely, “another public appearance?”

“Opal here was just talking about her replacement-”

“I cannot deny that my age is advancing,” the Purple-Lady interrupted, “I’ve started the process of finding a replacement and was wondering if you had any suggestions.” he looked around the room in confusion, suddenly all the eyes seemed to be on the Champion. They very rarely asked him for suggestions, and it was almost always Opal who did so. She seemed to be the only one who actually had any faith in him.

This time, however, it was a decision of actual importance. Not only that but whoever the Champion endorsed as the replacement would almost certainly be chosen, purely by popular demand. The word of the Champion was sacred and treated as law by the general public, to renege against his endorsement would certainly lead to a few heads being lost.

Victor thought through his options, Bede and Marnie would throw him off the roof of Battle Tower if they were chosen, Leon would probably fly off on his Charizard before anyone had the chance to ask, Piers was busy doing world tours and his career was really starting to take off, Raihan had already become a household name as the Dragon Gym Leader, Hop was busy with his studies, and Sonia was busy with research and helping Hop. Any of them were more than competent, but none of them were available. Well...at least not yet.

“How much longer do you intend to stay in your position?” Victor asked.

“I’ll be out as soon as a replacement is found,” Opal answered quickly.

“Yes, but what if the process takes a year or two, would you wait that long?” he gave her the follow up question.

“I suppose I could. I’d like to have a few years of retirement so quicker is always better,” Opal answered suspiciously, clearly unsure of where the conversation was going.

“What about Sonia then?” Victor suggested.

“She’s busy with her research, she’d never accept,” one of the Board Members answered.

“She wouldn’t accept-yet,” Victor corrected. “If we give her some time though, she might find a good place to conclude her studies, pass them to Hop, and take up the mantle. She’s more than intelligent enough and she’s got that iron will that any person needs in such a position. I wouldn’t be so quick to overlook the Professor.”

“But Hop,” Opal continued with concern, “are you sure he could handle taking up such a huge responsibility at such a young age.” An accusing eyebrow was Victor’s only response. 

“You’re right,” she answered amused, “I suppose I’m not exactly one to talk about youth and responsibility, am I? Very well then, Victor, why don’t you reach out to Sonia and let her know that we’d like to offer her the position and that we’re willing to wait as long as necessary for her. Do any Members of the Board disagree?” The question hid a thinly veiled threat, none of the Board Members dared to disagree with the decision.

“Wonderful! You can reach out to her tonight,” Victor nodded and smiled, he couldn’t think of anyone more suited for the position.

The day continued as boring as it began. As soon as the meeting ended he was whisked off to meet some special donors who had helped fund the repair and renovations to Hammerlocke Stadium, after that it was a carefully planned walk around Wyndon. The walk seemed random and casual, but the entire thing was preplanned and all stores were notified if he was going to be entering and it all fit within a very tight schedule. Once his ‘casual walk’ was complete it was time to go over the notes for some upcoming event. Victor honestly had no idea what it was for, he just read the notes on his card and walked where he needed to go when told to. 

Everything he did was going through the motions and it took him all of a couple of days to figure out why Leon had left Wyndon so quickly. Now, all Victor could look forward to was the next Gym Challenge, hoping someone would finally rise through the ranks to unseat him. Some predicted that would never happen, the more optimistic ones agreed he would hold the position for a long time; longer than Leon’s twelve-year reign at least. To Victor’s slight relief, these are the same people who predicted Leon would never be unseated so there was hope for him at least.

For now, however, the only thing he could concern himself with was making sure-he read his card-Crystal’s party was the best one yet. Probably another big donor he mused to himself, he rarely ever bothered to learn the backgrounds, there were far too many and none of them really cared for his, either. They just wanted a pleasant face and he provided that. He just hoped it wasn’t another brothel party, that had happened once. The bright side was the new nightmares gave him some relief from his old ones for a solid week. The downside was he had to fire everyone in his staff and find new management.

This party did not seem to be a brothel, it was a retirement party for one of the Chief Officers at Macro Cosmos, Finance officer if Victor remembered his notes correctly. He never remembered Crystal, though he should’ve as a Member of the Board. He never really bothered to learn the names and faces of his colleagues. He barely knew anyone besides Opal and Marissa, the Chief Operations Officer, and that was only because they had to work together constantly. Put him in a room with the Board and ask him to name them and he’d likely get stumped.

Don’t chastise him. The only name they knew was Champion, and none of them were interested in more.

As much as he hated it, he did find some solace in the busy schedule. The work kept him from thinking too much about his nightmares, those only haunted him in the off hours of his day. However, even the busiest of days must come to an end, and a tired Victor found himself resting on the wings of his Corviknight as they made their way back home. Landing in the padded snow, Victor made the steps up to his house, eyes never leaving the spot where he had dropped the Pokemon; still, laser-focused on it, like a small piece in the back of his brain was pulling him back to it.

Mustering his strength, Victor ignored himself and went inside into the warmth of his home. Before he could finally clock out for the night, he had just a couple of small things to take care of.

The phone rang twice before Sonia’s familiar voice answered the other end. “Hello? Victor?”

“Hey Sonia, what’s up?” he tried to answer casually. It was a lot more difficult than it seemed considering the massive amount of blackmail she held over him, it was inevitable that she’d bring it up somewhere in the call. “Listen, I need to talk business with you for a bit, you ok with that?”

“Sure,” she answered, “but you owe me some friendly casual talk right after.”

“Sonia please-”

“Orrrr, I could just tell-”

“So how’s it going friend!!” Victor interrupted her quickly, there was no telling who was in the room with her. The smirk could be heard from the other end of the line, Sonia had him trapped and Victor knew it.

“That’s much better,” she teased innocently, “so what did you need Mr. Business?”

“Well, the thing is,” he started, “Opal is about to step down as Chairwoman and the Board wanted to offer the position to you.” Victor could hear the silence, he just wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“Victor,” her voice lowered, “you know I can’t accept, Hop has been doing great with his studies and I can’t just leave him here to fend for himself, he’s not ready yet.”

“I know, which is why Opal emphasized that she was willing to wait until you were ready to pass the reins to Hop,” Victor clenched my teeth, unsure he’d be able to convince her.

“I’ll give it some thought,” she sighed, it was the best Victor could expect. 

“Ok, just let me know when you’ve made a decision, K?” 

“Of course,” Sonia confirmed, “did you want to speak to Hop?”

“He’s with you??” Victor baffled out his question.

“Well of course he is,” Sonia replied innocently, “we’re in the lab right now.”

“You are a demon,” Victor whispered quietly.

“I have no Earthly idea what you’re talking about,” Sonia gave another coy reply, as if she didn’t realize she was fully ready to reveal Victor’s darkest secret to the object of said secret. “Oh look, here he is now, Hop why don’t you say hi to Victor.” Silence came on the line as Sonia gave her phone to Hop, quickly replaced by Hop’s excited and rambunctious voice.

“Victor!” Victor flinched at the sudden increase in volume, “how’s it going in Wyndon? We miss you down here!”

“I miss you guys too,” Victor replied sheepishly, his free hand scratching the back of his head. “Wyndon is nice, it’s really busy though so I live in a small house outside the city. It’s a bit far from work, but certainly worth it for the peace and quiet.”

“I can imagine,” he replied quickly, “I see you on TV all the time, it has to be exhausting! Leon would always drone on about how tired he was.” Victor smiled, he’d forgotten how much he missed Hop’s energy.

“Yeah-”

“And it must be even worse for you! Having to take up all of Opal’s public appearances.” There were some things about Hop that couldn’t be missed though.

“Yeah,” Victor laughed, “my schedule certainly has been busy, but everyone’s following my life. How is the life of Hop, Professor’s Assistant?”

“I’ve never been happier!” Hop’s exstatic reply came through the line, “Sonia can certainly be a bit of a dictator at times

“-I know what that means!!-” A shout interrupted the other end of the line. Hop and Victor snickered silently

“Anyways, I really feel like I’m making progress and finally making a difference. I’m truly happier now than I ever was as a trainer.” Victor forced himself to smile, he truly was happy for his Best Friend, but it was hard when he felt so miserable. Looking back, it was hard to see Hop as the one who really lost.

“That’s great,” Victor mustered all the happiness he could, “I’m glad you’ve found something you truly love. I know Professor Hop is going to make his own mark on the world.” 

“Wow! Thanks Victor,” Hop beamed, “do you think you’ll be able to visit anytime soon?” Victor mentally checked his calendar, if he remembered correctly, he wouldn’t get enough time off to visit until…

“I get the whole week off before the Gym Challenge starts,” Victor suggested, “that’s pretty much it though.”

“That’s not for another three months!” Victor jumped, “I can’t wait that long!! Sonia, can I get a few days off to see Victor? --- She said yes! I’ll be in Wyndon by tomorrow night!”

“Wait ho-” the line went dead. It’s not that Victor minded a visit from Hop, he very much did not mind being alone with his friend, but one look at his house.

“I have a lot of cleaning up to do,” he sighed to himself.

The night wore on, and Victor found himself sitting on the steps of his porch, staring at the little spot where the beast now lied. With nothing left to occupy his mind, the only thing left was the silence of the night and the deafening noise of his nightmares. And Victor, transfixed on one spot, unable to leave it, unable to come closer. 

How does one confront a nightmare? How does one stare upon the object of their greatest torture and muster the courage to face them? The impossibility stumped Victor, but the possibility captivated him. A chance. However small. To finally rid himself of the pain that plagued his nights.

He knew it wouldn’t come from a burial, burying something never removed it from your heart. It didn’t come from burying his Grandfather in Unova or his Father in their backyard, it certainly wouldn’t come from burying a Pokeball on his front porch. Yet, burial did mean one thing, it was time to move on, and Victor really wanted to move on.

“But I can’t move on,” Victor sighed, “not yet.” He reached for the Pokemon, his Pokemon, buried somewhere in the powder. He didn’t have to look long, it’s location burned inside his memory, as though a sixth sense refused to allow him the closure he needed. Grasping the Ultra Ball in hand, it felt heavier than before, as if the beast had grown in his absence.

“How?” Victor resigned to despair, “how can I possibly look at you when I can’t even bear to say your name. You are a disgrace. Everything I hate. Everything that has tormented me for years.” Victor threw the ball with all the anger he could muster, he had no courage left in him, only a blind hatred. A blind hatred for the beast that had tortured his thoughts for years. A blind hatred for the beast that stood in front of him.

It was as ugly as he remembered. A red, glasslike head with purple spikes. A skeletal body that vaguely resembled some sort of dragon. Red and purple cloaked his frame, like he had become the very poison that secreted from his sharp maw. Victor stared at it with as much disgust as he had three years ago when he first confronted it.

“I hate you,” he seethed in silence, barely above a whisper.

“I hate you!” His voice is more commanding.

“I hate you!” A shout, his voice echoed throughout the forest.

“I HATE YOU!” A murderous yell into the night.

“I HATE YOU!!” A scream into his face.

“I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU!!!! I. HATE. YOU!!!!” His voice so hoarse he could barely whisper another. The beast had the gaul to barely register any of it, simply floating in the winter breeze. “What right do you have to carry so much pain? I defeated you, why do you get to celebrate the victory? Why do you get to torment me!? What right…”

“I hate you,” the tears burned his skin in the cold air. The wind was harsh, but kindly wiped them, leaving only his reddened eyes. 

“But the worst part?” He dared to look, to look into the eyes of Eternity. What he found was not pain or torture, it was peace. The peace of one who had long accepted the pains of their past, the peace of one who learned to move on. “The worst part is I know it’s not your fault. I know exactly how it feels to be used, taken advantage of, just to be thrown away. I live my day free from nightmares and call it relief, but everything I live is a nightmare.” Victor began to stumble, his body finally succumbing to the weariness that ached his soul. The Champion seemed destined for the soft bed of Earth, collapsing into the snow, only to be caught by the beast before he could hit the floor. 

Holding onto his enemy for dear life, Victor managed to stumble to his porch. Staring at the white Earth, he couldn’t avoid the hazy reflection of the figure that towered over him. “How did you do it?” No response, but Victor continued. “How did you move on? People used you. They destroyed you. Desiccated you. All for their selfish goals. They put you into my nightmares to haunt me in my sleep, because apparently taking my living days wasn’t enough. I hate you with every fiber of my being, but I hate myself more for hating you.”

Silence was his only response, it was the only response Victor needed. All he needed was the harsh wind to dry the tears that fell too freely from his eyes. As they pooled over his eyes, his vision began to blur.

A scream interrupted the peace of the slumbering sky.

The stars, stirred from their sleep, looked down on their child who had suffered so much. With gentle arms they caressed him back to a more peaceful sleep. 

When the Champion awoke, the pain wasn’t gone, but it had become bearable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know the Pokemon's name is Eternatus, not Eternity. It's a metaphor, and let's not pretend the name wasn't a coincidence.


	2. In the First Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor must deal with his first year as Champion, coming to the realization that the glamorous lifestyle was nothing but a show for the bureaucratic forces that dictate his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was an interesting challenge inspired by "Getaway Green." It's definitely nowhere near as good or as long, but I wanted to be able to write a good story without dialogue. Hope I pulled it off :)

_ Sympathy _

At a young age, Victor was taught to always look people in the eye. The eyes, his mother had told him, reveal the deepest truths in the moments of our greatest weakness. The eyes translate what words cannot say, what actions cannot show, what memory cannot replay. They are the windows to our deepest desires and the written words of our soul. To focus on one’s eyes is to focus on their very being. 

Victor held onto this as Leon’s Charizard fell in an epic blaze, as his Inteleon stood proud yet weary. Even as the exhaustion of Dynamaxing built, he found the strength to look Leon in the eye. He wasn’t sure what he expected. Jealousy? Sadness? Regret? Pain?

Sympathy.

Victor did not expect sympathy. It was only for a moment, a fleeting moment of weakness that betrayed Leon’s deepest truth. The sympathetic look was replaced quickly by tears of delight, as he threw his cap into the air to celebrate the crowning of a new Champion. However, Victor knew what he saw; he knew the look in the eyes of the man across from him.

The roar of the crowd deafened his ears to Leon’s celebration, but his eyes were not deafened to what they had seen. Victor could not cast his confusion aside; what need did he have for sympathy? Was he not the Champion? Did he not cement himself at the top of Galar? Would his name not be recognized for years to come?

Leon, the Undefeated Champion!

That had been the name of his idol. The man that Hop rambled nonstop about during the late hours when they slept at each other's house. In the excitably dull moments, when neither of them had anything to do and no desire to do anything. They were tales of a figure of incredible stature. A godlike being with no equal. A monster in battle who stood above all others as the reigning Champion.

To Victor and Hop, his name was Leon. To the world, he was the Undefeated Champion. It was a contrast Victor had been entirely ignorant to, but one he discovered soon. Before long, Victor too lost any sense of individual identity. Within a week, he was no longer Victor, the trainer endorsed by the Champion; he was simply-Champion. His claim to fame was not his kind but fragile heart. It was not the love he shared for his Pokemon. It was not the mean curry he made while camping out in the Wild Area, giving his Pokemon a healthy meal before each Gym Challenge. His only claim to fame became the very name he came to hate. He was Victor, the Champion of Champions. He had unseated a god and, upon his head, lay the crown of hidden thorns.

It came fast like a bullet and hit hard like a train. Reality shifted into a different dimension. Victor had died with Leon’s Charizard, and in his place, the Champion was born. A Champion who needed to have the perfect image, the perfect posture, the perfect dress. He went shopping for his usual attire. 40,000 Pokebucks. For a short-sleeved shirt. It hadn’t been that expensive the last time he bought it. He looked at the tag; it was made by some nameless company that he supposedly sponsored.

Figures.

Of course, he had that kind of money. Being Champion meant he had all the money he needed. Being Champion meant he had no freedom to spend it. His entire day was made for him. His work was scheduled, his parties were planned, his fun was regimented. Everything he did, everything he said, everything he became was the image of the new Champion. It was not Victor, in the crowded streets of Wyndon, such a fickle name did not exist on the lips of those who passed by him.

Apparently, he was cute. That’s what his stylist had told him. He had a face that begs to be pinched and squeezed. Victor did not like that one bit. He was fourteen, he was most certainly not ‘cute’ or ‘adorable.’ They dressed him up to look the part. Dolled up his face to puff out his cheeks and shoved him into small close-cut clothing that showed off his skin. The Champion was instructed to make small steps-but not too small, face low-but not too low, body small-but not too small. He had to look vulnerable, but not too vulnerable-he is the Champion after all. He turned heads, and not always the good ones.

Victor hated it.

The Champion continued walking, leaving Victor somewhere in the dust, a mess of tangled hair and broken dreams, lying on the side of the street with nothing but the cold hard pavement to greet him. Asleep on the shattered corner, he dreamed of freedom, the countless steps ahead of him leading to the next challenge. He dreamed of fear, Eternal Darkness haunting his nights, flashing in his eyes when they drooped heavily after another long day full of nothing important. He dreamed of love. Images haunting him with fantasies of a far off land, giving him hope for something worth building. He dreamed of loss. As everything he built crumbled around him, hope burning to despair as he gazed into the cauldron of space.

He needed a break. Victor needed a break, a real challenge. He could hold tournaments whenever he wanted, but there are only so many times Inteleon can Snipe Shot Leon’s Charizard before it gets boring. There’s no need for the money; he’s got enough to go around. He wondered if other Champions were this miserable. Galar was always infamous for being buried under a mountain of bureaucracy.

Kanto seemed a much simpler place. The Elite 4, the Champion, the Gym Leaders. Everything about it seemed more straightforward. He decided to read up on the area; it got confusing quickly. Apparently, they had three? Four? Different Champions? One used to live in Mt. Silver somewhere? No thanks!

Perhaps it wasn’t so simple.

Sinnoh? The legend of Sinnoh was more infamous than Galar’s-in a good way. Ask anyone what the most challenging region is, and nine times out of ten, they’ll tell you it’s Sinnoh. The tenth is most likely from Kalos...though they can get a bit full of themselves. Victor decided to look a bit deeper. The Champion’s name was Lucas, having unseated the former Champion only a few years ago after she had reigned for almost two decades. The Champion shuddered, taking one look in the mirror at his chosen attire. Two months was more than enough. Two decades? He’ll pass.

Perhaps it would be worth the trip, though. The former Champion was rumored to be better than Leon, and the current Champion better than her. A journey to Sinnoh would be far from a waste. It would be an excellent opportunity to get a good challenge. The weight of losing would be released from his shoulders, nothing but the drive of a Pokemon Trainer-just the way it should be. 

__

Only if it’s televised, he’s rebuked. Everything has to be a show for them, an opportunity to pinch a few more dollars out of him for entertainment. It’s not enough to just fly to Sinnoh and challenge Cynthia. No. It has to be a spectacle! A phenomenon for the world to enjoy. What other reason could there possibly be to go to Sinnoh? 

Mt. Silver wasn’t looking so bad anymore. Unfortunately, Galar was far too small for the luxury of such a sanctuary. Every street was packed tight, making the most of what little space was available. No mountains climbed into the sky, towering over the land below, offering solitude to any that dared approach. There were no caves that had not been stripped dry. No islands that would not be scoured for any sign of life. Disappearing was impossible; they kept him on a tight enough leash to make sure of that. He asked for a home far outside Wyndon. They told him to wait until he was older.

Age was a burden, the counting of days. Each second stretched into eternity. With every passing hour, his burden only grew, the weight on the very edge of what he thought was bearable. Each moment was another as Champion, a nameless person with nothing to bear but the world upon his shoulder. Each moment he grew stronger, but the burden only grew heavier.

He asked Leon how he coped one day. With being Champion, he specified. They were on a break from the Battle Tower, having recently finished a match with each other. One dead look in the eye was the only answer Victor needed.

He didn’t. Every day, the weight of Champion wore him down, but Leon shouldered the burden, just like Victor did now. Just like Sid before him. The weight crushing, the responsibility unknown to all but a few; a few who couldn’t possibly care less. By the time Victor had found Leon, he was nothing but a shell of shattered hope and empty dreams. His death was not marked with a coffin nor a tombstone in the Earth, but a thunderous cheer that shook the core of his sanity. A friend to all who was known by none. His body did not become one with nature, but a slave to the greed of Man.

__

Victor wanted some way to break the cycle; escape from the fate that had plagued a generation of Champions. It had seemed like a dream, an opportunity so perfect he couldn’t pass it. His best friend filled his heart with the story of dreams, ambitions to reach the edges of the stars. An aspiration that filled him with childlike wonder seemed so childish now-ignorant. He would give for nothing more than to take it all back. Take back the mistake of becoming Champion. Take back the mistake of earning those badges. Take back the mistake of entering the Gym Challenge. Take back the mistake of choosing…

He looked at his Inteleon, curled in on itself, sleeping peacefully with the others. All of them slept so peacefully. Inteleon, Thievul, and Corviknight-all with him since Route 1. Falinx, Zacian, Ninetales; he loved them the same. He loved them with every piece of his heart, and he knew they loved him too. Their bond was shared, an unbreakable one that he could never hope to replicate. Could he call it a mistake?

No. Of course, he couldn’t. Watching all of them sleep so blissfully, there’s simply no way he could call it a mistake. The peaceful bliss of camping, the excitement of cooking, the joy of playing with a silly feather, the-

The battles. There was no feeling to describe it. The synergy between Pokemon and Trainer simply could not be replicated. It was more than merely a test of strength; it was a test of the bond between Pokemon and Trainer. The invisible connection between two living beings. It was not a matter of a master and his pet. Victor realized quickly that his Pokemon were just as alive as him. It was a partnership borne from a trust that soon evolved into love. 

Victor loved his Pokemon, and that love never felt more significant than on the heated sands of the battlefield, executing his command almost before he even says a word. They were putting all their will into the fight for nothing more than the knowledge that Victor was proud of them. And oh, Victor was proud of them-he wished he could say it a thousand times. A million times. It would never be enough to express the pride he felt for his...friends. They didn’t need to land a critical hit to earn his praise. He praised them because they were his-he didn’t need any other reason.

Looking at them now, he couldn’t imagine calling his adventure a mistake, but it was never truly what he wanted. He craved the challenge, the thrill of a fight that had you on the edge of your seat. The battles that were decided with split-second decisions marking the difference between a hard-earned victory and bitter defeat. It was a challenge he faced in the earlier days of his adventure, a wide-eyed kid punching far above his weight.

Now? Now he was Champion. There was no more challenge. The thrill of battle seeped out of him. He barely had to say a word. His Inteleon knew the field better than he did. Rarely did he need more than a few words of encouragement. Some would call it relief. To Victor, it was just a disappointment. He wanted out of it. He wanted to know the thrill of battle once again. He wanted to feel...like Victor.

__

Show them that you’re human. Hop’s suggestion ran in his head throughout the night, sleep evading him like a ghost, desperately chasing away the nightmares that awaited him. It was such a simple suggestion, given without a second glance between spoonfuls of ice cream. It seemed so profound to Victor’s ears but so excruciatingly simple that he felt ridiculous for not having thought of it before.

Now he lay in his bed, edging on the abyss of another nightmare, trying to conjure up some idea of how he could accomplish something so simple. It was one thing to have an idea, but Victor had no clue how to see it through. How could he convince people that he was just an ordinary human like them? There was nothing about him to idolize. He was not a fantasy; he was simply...Victor. 

__

It was another nightmare. Victor knew immediately-it was always a nightmare. They started differently but ended the same. Knowing there was nothing he could do, he chose to let it play out. There was nothing to gain from fighting it anymore. He only woke up more exhausted. He knew it was a dream, but he was not in control.

This one started in Unova; he recognized it immediately as Accumula Town. It was where his grandfather had lived; where all his old friends had lived, where he had lived when he was little. It was a small piece of his heart tucked into a dark corner, long forgotten with the pain that had once followed its departure. It was where his grandfather had died, where his friends had left in the wake of Plasma’s terror, and where he had left for the mysterious region of Galar. 

He stood alone at the market, where Ghetsis had first made his speech promoting the “peace-loving ways” of Plasma that wished to see Pokemon live free of the people who captured them. He was eventually stopped by another kid who seemed only a bit older than Victor. Eventually, Ghetsis left, and the boy went with him, but nobody seemed to care what happened to his home after that.

The shortest description was chaos. Ghetsis’ ideas had gotten to some of the people in the town, and now they were preaching the evils of Pokemon battles. Most of it was just harmless speeches. Some of it was not so harmless. An extreme group of people called for action, taking Pokemon by force in order to release them from their masters. Chaos became the law of nature as those who wished to protect their beloved partners hid or fled. Those who hid risked being found, and those who fled risked being caught by the extremists. 

One by one, Victor’s friends all disappeared. He could only ever speculate where they had gone. He never heard from them again, and he was far too young to understand the gravity of everything that was falling apart around him. The only thing Victor wondered was why they had to stay when most had already chosen to flee. He was all alone in a world that was setting itself on fire, and his family seemed ready to get burned.

His Grandpa finally gave in. His Grandma had passed years earlier, but his Grandpa had managed to push on for a few more years. It was the stress-Victor didn’t realize at the time-but the stress of watching his beloved home set itself ablaze had finally driven him to cave in. The body had barely been covered by the dirt when his family threw a suitcase at him, and they fled.

It was planned for months, the day they’d finally leave. Too many had simply rushed out and gotten captured in quick order, but his parents had been a bit smarter. Everything had already been packed in advance, taking nothing more than they needed. It meant giving up precious valuables-including Pokemon. Even Victor, in his youth, could feel his mother break as she wept for the Zorua who they had left behind, crying loudly for its family. 

They flew off on two Aerodactyls that his father had spent months finding and strengthening in secret. From above, Victor could barely see the true destruction the city had endured. The city lights blinked bright and proud; buildings stood tall and mighty-a silhouette against the landscape that surrounded them. Yet even from above, one could hear the silence. The bustling city had ground to a halt in the face of the extreme violence that now held its people in an iron grip.

They gave chase, of course, after they realized someone was trying to escape, but his dad had chosen Aerodactyl for a reason. It was one of the fastest flying pokemon, so it could easily outpace anything they sent towards them. The Mandibuzzes stood no chance of catching up to them. Still, there were some things that even an Aerodactyl simply couldn’t outpace. 

He was dead in seconds; the doctor explained when they had finally landed in Galar. The psychic had stopped his heart instantly. There barely would’ve been any pain. His entire body had convulsed on itself, and he’d simply collapsed limply onto his Aerodactyl. Victor turned around to see an Alakazam glowing against the darkness of the night, but he did not glow softly. This Alakazam carried great malice and hatred for the unnamed human he had just killed. Victor waited for the inevitable, but it never came. 

His mother took the one Pokeball she had brought with her and threw out Hydreigon. The first battle was over within seconds. The Hydreigon had made quick work of the Alakazam before any more damage could be done. The Mandibuzzes, however, surrounded Hydreigon and attacked him in double teams. One on one, they were no match for Hydreigon, but with four against one, Hydreigon simply stood no chance.

The Hydreigon held valiantly, taking a beating by the four Mandibuzzes, returning every strike with equal force. They had no choice. Once again, his mother broke down in tears as yet another piece of her heart was left in that cursed city. Lights blinked brightly, but the darkness hid inside every shadow, every crevice and crack within the pavement, every street tucked within the tallest buildings. It was a city of hopes and dreams, broken by the frailty of man. 

It’s what Victor hated most about his nightmare. They could barely be considered such. They were memories of a time that he wished was long forgotten. A memory replayed in fast forward yet taking every precaution to replay the most painful parts in excruciating detail. They were branded into his memory with a hot iron. They played memories of Victor being absolutely helpless. Powerless to stop the violence and fear that had gripped his entire childhood. Powerless to stop his city from erupting into flames. Powerless to stop his friends from leaving one by one. Powerless to stop his Grandpa from finally caving under the incredible stress of watching his beloved home die. Powerless to stop the Alakazam that willed his father’s heart to stop beating. Powerless to stop the chains that held him from escaping his life as Champion. Powerless.

He woke up, of course, but it was hardly a relief. Those waking moments between sleeping and finally being awake were nothing more than a painful reminder that his nightmares were real. Memories relived from his youth long forgotten. It gave him a moment to compose himself. Still, eventually, he would have to get up to deal with another day of being Champion. Another day on top of his little pedestal set above a chasm of insanity with nothing rooting himself in place except the delicate balance of necessity.

__

They finally agreed to let him fly to Sinnoh. Most of it had to be televised, of course-just not all of it. Victor knew better than to fight battles he couldn’t win. The war would be a long one, and he needed to keep himself in good faith with the people who dictated every aspect of his life. The challenge was sent out to Cynthia, who accepted the invitation eagerly and in very short order. Excitedly, Victor got ready to visit Sinnoh and maybe-just maybe-show a little bit more humanity. 

Use the cameras to your advantage, that had been Hop’s suggestion. Victor knew what he meant. The people who controlled him wanted people to see every aspect of his life, and surely they’d see the bad parts too. Fighting Cynthia was a calculated risk. If he lost, then the throne he sat on would crumble, and people would finally stop worshipping him like a god. They’d realize he was not infallible and could show true humanity. On the other hand…

He won. Of course, he won. It was the most challenging match he had ever endured, and endure was the only correct word. It was a fight of endurance as both of their teams held bravely against powerful attacks. A powerful Togekiss sustained a Behemoth Blade that would’ve been the fall of any other Fairy Pokemon. A resilient Zacian stood an Aura Sphere that would’ve crippled any other Steel Pokemon.

Both trainers defied all logic as their Pokemon took attacks that would’ve stopped any other in its track and delivered blows of equal and ever greater force. It came down to both of their aces, Garchomp and Inteleon. It was the closest Victor had ever come to tasting defeat since choosing Sobble as his starter Pokemon. Garchomp’s Dragon-type negated its weakness to Water attacks, allowing it to stand against a well placed Hydro Pump. Victor used his Pokemon’s speed to avoid what would’ve been fatal blows. Finally, after dancing around each other and whittling each other down, Victor didn’t even have to say anything. His Inteleon saw the opening and immediately fired a Snipe Shot. It was just what they needed to end the match.

The Garchomp fell, and the Champion fell with him. Both were falling under the weary burden of sustaining far too many blows for far too long. As the Champion fell, the voices around him erupted in thunderous applause. From thousands of miles away, he could hear the celebrations of Galar as their beloved Champion had defeated the greatest Champion who ever lived. His deeds were set in stone, his status unquestionable, and his strength immeasurable. Once again, he had conquered that which some believed could not be conquered.

Some wanted to see a match with Lucas, the reigning Champion of Sinnoh. Victor didn’t want to risk it. Facing Cynthia was a calculated risk that had backfired so terribly he didn’t dare to consider the consequences. Even if he lost to Lucas, it would hardly do anything to change the fact that he had twice managed to accomplish what few could hope to achieve. His place in history was signed on the covenant with the sweat and tears of those who had fallen before him. There was no going back now.

__

The challenger stood in front of him. After nearly a month, one person alone had risen through the ranks to secure the right to challenge the Champion for the right to the title. Making it this far was a prestigious honor coveted by thousands who entered each year for the right to sit right here on the fields of Wyndon Stadium and face the Champion. Out of all of them, this one had risen above the rest to prove themselves worthy of challenging the title and securing the right to call himself Champion.

It would be Victor’s first real test of humanity. He was stuck in a juxtaposition, give up the title and the burden or save an innocent person from the horrific reality of being Champion. Of course, he could lose on purpose, make it look like a fair fight while still ceding the title. His opponent sent out Raichu. It would be so easy to choose Inteleon-it was his ace pokemon. No one would think anything of it. 

The Raichu was powerful, that much was evident. It would not be defeated by brute strength alone as it could obviously take a beating from what the Champion had observed. He sighed in defeat and threw out his Thievul, immediately instructing it to use Dig to avoid the Raichu’s mighty thunderbolt. Despite being slightly slower than the electric pokemon, Thievul was able to avoid significant damage and managed to deliver a decisive blow to the opponent’s Raichu.

The battle continued. The opponent was undoubtedly powerful, that was to be expected from anyone who could defeat Raihan. Unfortunately, he simply wasn’t strong enough. His Rapidash eventually fell to a well placed Behemoth Blade courtesy of the Champion’s Zacian. In hindsight, it was never even close. Victor had controlled the match from the start, and everything his opponent sent out was answered with greater force. With dignity and poise, Victor claimed victory and earned the prestigious right to call himself Champion for yet another year.

__

The Crown of hidden thorns sank a little bit lower on his head, the chain on his ankles was bound a little bit tighter, and his nightmares only grew more frequent.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Yes, I know Accumula Town is just fine in the video games and manga, it's called creative interpretation-I got a story to write.  
> 2\. Yes, I know Cynthia is in Unova right now, but it wouldn't really make sense to send Victor back there, and fighting Lucas felt weird as he was a PC just like Victor. It's called creative interpretation :(


End file.
